Malicious hackers to face 10 years in jail in the UK

Malicious crackers who break into computer systems, supply tools to attack systems, do denial-of-service attacks and things of this nature could be looking at 10 year jail terms in the UK. New laws, proposed by Home Secretary Charles Clarke, will also see foreign crackers being extradited to the UK to stand trial. The move is seen as a positive one by some security experts.

"This term would be appropriate for an organised internet crime racket that has deliberately targeted businesses or government organisations. It would not be appropriate to enforce this sentence on mis-guided teenagers," Alan Bentley, managing director of patch management firm PatchLink, said.